On 15 May 2026, following the completion of field research, the eighth meeting of the team members of the project “Bioindicators and Anthropogenic Pressures in Aquatic Systems of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve” (AQUA-BIOPRESS) was held. The project is funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU programme. The meeting addressed the field research conducted, the further processing of collected samples and data, and the preparation of publications. Additional research is planned for June and the summer months.

Field research within the project “Bioindicators and Anthropogenic Pressures in Aquatic Systems of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve” (AQUA-BIOPRESS), funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU programme, continued in May 2026. Project team members collected samples at six locations in the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve, and sample analyses are ongoing in the laboratories of the Institute of Water Ecology, Department of Biology.

On 4 May 2026, the seventh meeting was held as part of the project “Bioindicators and Anthropogenic Pressures in Aquatic Systems of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve” (AQUA-BIOPRESS). Prof. Tanja Žuna Pfeiffer, PhD, the project leader, chaired the meeting. The following topics were discussed: field research conducted in April, planned field and laboratory research in May, and equipment procurement. The project is funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU programme.

In April 2026, research was conducted as part of the project “Bioindicators and Anthropogenic Pressures in the Aquatic Systems of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve” (AQUA-BIOPRESS), funded by the European Union under the Next Generation EU programme. Project team members carried out research at selected sites on the Drava, Danube and Mura rivers, Lake Halaševo, Sakadaš Lake, and the Stara Mura channel in Podturen. The research involved determining ecological conditions (physical and chemical parameters of water), collecting samples for the analysis of stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes, sampling various planktonic and fouling communities, and collecting water samples for further molecular analyses and assessment of their diversity. The collected samples will be processed in the laboratories of the Institute of Water Ecology, Department of Biology, and field research will continue in May. Professional assistance and support for the project team were provided by the expert services of the Public Institution Kopački rit Nature Park, the Public Institution for the Management of Protected Natural Values of Osijek-Baranja County, the Public Institution for Nature Protection – Međimurje Nature, and the Sports and Fishing Association “Šaran” from Podturen.

As part of the Erasmus+ programme for professional development, Matej Šag and Nikolina Bek, PhD, presented the AQUA-BIOPRESS project to the teaching staff and students of the Faculty of Biotechnical Sciences at the University “St Kliment Ohridski” – Bitola, Republic of North Macedonia. The presentation of the project goals, research activities, and expression of interest for further cooperation took place on 26 February 2026.

As part of the inter-county expert conference entitled “Scientific Achievements in Biology”, Tanja Žuna Pfeiffer, PhD, Full Professor presented the project “Bioindicators and anthropogenic pressures in aquatic systems of the Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve (AQUA-BIOPRESS)”. The conference was held on 7 January 2026 at the Department of Biology and brought together scientists, teachers and lecturers to exchange knowledge about modern research in various fields of biology, with an emphasis on ecology, neurobiology, microbiology and applied biological research. The participants were informed about the project’s goals, planned activities and potential opportunities for involvement in its implementation.